The day of our first class, I wake up near the kitchens. I look at the painting of a bowl of fruit that I know conceals the entrance to the kitchens. Dumbledore said that I could help the house elves make breakfast if I woke up early again. The problem with that is, I don't know how to get past the painting.
I turn and walk back to the Ravenclaw common room. While I walk, I think about the classes we have today- Charms, Potions, and Transfiguration. Charms sounds interesting, but I confess that I'm not looking forward to the afternoon. Early Transfiguration lessons won't be so bad, but later we'll be Transfiguring animals into inanimate objects. Jacob insisted that it doesn't hurt them, but since he couldn't offer any real proof, I never believed him. And there are rumors circulating about the Potions master, rumors about whose side he was really on in the recently-concluded Wizarding War...
I feel an involuntary shiver run down my spine as my feet finally stop before the carved eagle head. I answer a riddle and slip up to my dormitory, intending to fetch a textbook to read until breakfast.
Rowan's snoring, thankfully, has quieted. She takes doses of a potion prescribed by Madam Pomfrey every night after dinner. Now the sounds of her snoring are closer to a cat purring than an angry bear.
I find my Charms textbook and tiptoe back to the common room.
The pre-dawn stillness of the common room reminds me of a library. It's a familiar, soothing atmosphere for any Ravenclaw. I settle into an armchair- blue, of course- losing myself in a quiet broken only by the soft rustling of pages as I turn them and the soft crackling of the fire opposite me.
"Celena." Absorbed in my reading, I almost miss the soft voice that speaks my name. Startled, I look up to see Rowan standing over me. How long have I been reading?
"Come on," Rowan says, bouncing on her toes like an excited puppy. "Today's our first day of classes. You've got to get ready." Rowan, I notice with a grin, is already dressed.
"All right, all right, I'm coming," I say with a laugh.
A few minutes later, I rejoin Rowan and the other first-years, and we walk to the Great Hall together. Between the ten of us, someone will know the way.
Alana trails behind the rest of us, looking at the floor and fiddling with the end of her braid. I think about joining her, but Rowan has pushed her way to the front of the group, so I follow my friend instead.
Today, instead of sitting in a block at the end of the table, the other first-years disperse amongst the older students. Andre sits with a group that I recognize as the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He's followed by Helena, who hasn't given up on her attempts to flirt with him. Tulip and Tonks are as deep in conversation as ever. Dylan is seated next to a tall boy with the same curly hair. They must be brothers. Only Rowan, Alana, a boy named Talbott Winger, and I are left in our little cluster at the end of the table.
Talbott and Alana don't seem interested in talking, so I half-listen to Rowan's excited chatter while I eat breakfast.
Our first class is double Charms, with the Gryffindors. It's taught by Professor Flitwick, the head of Ravenclaw house, a fact Rowan is quick to remind me of.
The room is large and well-lit, with two long tables on either side of a central aisle. Tiny Professor Flitwick is perched on a stack of books behind his desk.
Rowan practically drags me to the seats nearest the front of the room. The other Ravenclaws file in behind us, leaving the Gryffindors to take the seats on the other side of the aisle. Nervous Ben Copper is opposite Rowan, forced into the seat nobody else wanted. I don't know the name of the girl next to him.
"Welcome to your first Charms class," Professor Flitwick squeaks. "Now, before we begin, who can tell me the incantation for the Wand-Lighting Charm?"
Rowan's hand is practically a blur as it shoots up. I hear scattered snickers, mostly from the Gryffindors' side of the room.
"Miss Khanna?" Professor Flitwick says, ignoring the other students.
"Lumos, sir," Rowan answers with certainty.
"Correct. Five points to Ravenclaw." Rowan grins proudly. Professor Flitwick resumes speaking to the entire class. "Today, we will be learning the Wand-Lighting Charm, Lumos. I will begin with a demonstration. I hope you all find this lesson quite illuminating."
There are scattered snickers and groans at his pun, although a few students laugh harder, Tulip among them.
Professor Flitwick demonstrates the wand movement for us. It's nothing hard, just a simple circle. He explains that the hardest part about casting Lumos is using the correct amount of concentration. Too little and the light is white, too much and it turns red. "Of course, there are times when you may want varying amounts of light. But in general, you should aim for a nice yellow color," Professor Flitwick explains. "Now, who would like to try it first?"
This time, my hand beats Rowan's into the air. She's slower to volunteer, less confident in her ability to actually cast the spell.
"Miss Serantos," Professor Flitwick says.
"Lumos," I say. At first, the light at the end of my wand flickers between white and yellow, but soon it steadies into a consistent yellow glow.
"Very good, Miss Serantos," Professor Flitwick says. "Five points to Ravenclaw."
Rowan and I exchange pleased smiles before Professor Flitwick asks Rowan to try Lumos. Like mine, the light wavers at the start, but soon steadies into a pretty yellow glow.
Professor Flitwick moves down the line, asking each student to cast Lumos. Everyone manages it. It's a simple spell. That's why it's the first one we learn.
"Excellent, Mr. Copper," Professor Flitwick says when he reaches the end of the line. "That's the best Lumos I've seen from a first-year in quite some time. Five points for Gryffindor."
Ben Copper turns bright red as a few of his fellow Gryffindors glare at him, annoyed that he was better than them. I squint at the light at the tip of his wand, but I don't see a difference between it and the ones Rowan and I produced. I'm sure Professor Flitwick knows what he's talking about.
When class ends and Professor Flitwick dismisses us, Ben is the first to dart from the room- quick and skittish like a mouse.
We have the rest of the morning off, so I decide to follow him.
Rowan frowns when I tell her this. "Why?"
"Because someone should be his friend, and I doubt that someone will be a Gryffindor," I say exasperatedly. Didn't she notice how the other first-years treated him?
The girl who was sitting next to him laughs. "You're right about that," she says. "No one wants to be friends with the Mouse."
My fingers itch; if I knew a jinx I would use it on her. "The houses are about the traits you value, not just those you possess," I snap instead. "Gryffindors might not all start out brave, but their house should help them face and conquer their fears."
The girl shrugs. "Then he'll get practice standing up to us."
I grab Rowan's arm and pull her away, accepting that I'm not going to get through to this girl. I look around for Ben, but he's disappeared during our argument.
Then I round a corner and almost walk straight into him.
"Oh! Sorry," I exclaim. "I didn't see you there."
"It's fine," Ben says. "I heard what you said back there. Thanks for sticking up for me." He looks at the ground. "I know I should do it myself, but I'm too afraid."
"It's normal to be afraid of bullies," I assure him. I want to say that I know a lot about bullies, but I hold myself back. Hearing about my problems won't help Ben.
"You don't understand. It's not just bullies. I'm afraid of everything." Ben sounds miserable. "Darkness, heights, water, fire, spiders..."
"I'm sure there's something Rowan and I can do to help," I assure him. Rowan looks at me doubtfully, but I ignore her.
"All right," Ben says. "Keep me from fainting, falling, throwing up, or doing anything else embarrassing in Flying class. Then you'll see just how afraid I am."
"Then we'll show you just how brave you are," I say, but inside, I'm not so certain. I can feel tendrils of doubt creeping through me. What if Ben really is as terrified as he thinks he is? What if he's beyond help?
I push my doubts away. I will help Ben. I don't want to let my friends down. Not Ben, not Rowan... not Jacob.
The dreaded afternoon begins with Potions. I follow Rowan down to the dungeons. The dungeons are dark and windowless, illuminated only by a few flickering torches.
We file into the classroom, which is cramped with tables and shelves of ingredients. Rowan and I set our materials down at the same table. We're joined by the purple-eyed girl from the Sorting. I try to think of her name, but I can only remember her last name- Snyde. It stuck in my head because of how it matched my first impression of her.
"Unlike your other classes, this is not a place for foolish wand-waving and intolerable screeching of mispronounced incantations." Professor Snape's voice is quiet, but no one's attention wanders. I'm not sure any of the other Ravenclaws are even breathing. "You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making. Ensnare the senses. Bewitch the mind. Keep your mouth shut." If any of the other professors had said that, I would assume that they were joking. I believe that Professor Snape, however, is serious.
Professor Snape waves his wand, and white writing fills the chalkboard. "Today we will be brewing a very simple potion, the Cure for Boils. Know that I expect perfection. And know that there are severe consequences for failing to meet my standards. The instructions are on the board. Extra ingredients are in the cabinet if you need them. You may begin."
"Do you know who I am?" Snyde says as we begin brewing.
I squint at the board. Is that a five, or a three? "No. Why would I?"
"I know who you are," Snyde says. I wanted to believe that my first impression of her was wrong, but with every word that comes out of her mouth, she's convincing me that I was right. "I heard the professors talking about you at the feast."
This gets my attention, although I try not to show it. Why would the professors be talking about me? I haven't done anything- yet.
"They're probably afraid you'll go the same way as your mad brother," Snyde says.
Rowan looks up from her textbook and glares at Snyde. I shake my head at her. I can handle this myself. "What makes you think you know anything about me or my brother?"
Snyde puffs out her chest importantly. "Because I'm Merula Snyde. Fourth-generation Slytherin. The Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts."
At least I know her name now, I think. Unfortunately, I fail to keep the smirk off my face.
"You think you're so special, Serantos, but you're already doomed to fail," Merula huffs. She adds an ingredient to her potion. It makes a soft plop sound as it hits the water.
I roll my eyes and give up on making out the instructions on the blackboard. Instead, I follow Rowan's lead and read from the textbook. Hopefully, if I ignore Merula, she'll shut up.
Her words make me nervous, though. Is she planning to sabotage my potion somehow? Just in case, I decide to keep an eye on her while I brew.
Whether because I'm expecting it or because of some other reason, Merula doesn't try anything during the period. My potion isn't perfect, but it's passable. I fill a bottle with it and carry it to Professor Snape's desk, Merula following me like some kind of malevolent shadow.
Fortunately, we have Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs, not the Slytherins, so we're freed from Merula's irritating presence.
I join Rowan at a table in the front of the room and place my textbook in front of me, A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch.
Professor McGonagall begins the class with a lecture. "Transfiguration is one of the hardest branches of magic to master. I expect you all to work very hard for as long as you take this class."
Rowan is perched on the edge of her chair, her eyes shining. She looks ready to prove that she'll work hard.
Professor McGonagall was right about Transfiguration being difficult. We spend the majority of the lesson copying down the Transfiguration alphabet and formula, learning about the different types of Transfiguration... There's so much information. I'm not sure how I'll remember it all.
The last step before we can try a basic Transfiguration is solving the Transfiguration equation. Professor McGonagall gives us a match. "You will be turning this match into a needle," she says. "Remember, the Transfiguration formula is only a theoretical way of measuring difficulty."
I hear several of my classmates let out sighs of relief. Of the four variables in the equation- wand power, concentration, viciousness, and the mass of the beginning object- only one is actually measurable. Only Rowan looks disappointed, robbed of a chance to show off her studying.
We struggle for several minutes to change our matchsticks into needles, but it's very hard, much more difficult than casting Lumos. By the end of the lesson, I've barely managed to turn the tip silver. Rowan fares a bit better, probably due to her intense studying of the Transfiguration formula. No one else manages anything.
Professor McGonagall rewards us each with five points for Ravenclaw. Rowan and I exchange pleased smiles. Between the two of us, we've earned twenty points for Ravenclaw on our first day. I remind myself to check the House Cup standings at dinner that night.
I follow Rowan from the room, thinking about a match and a needle. It's supposed to be one of the easiest Transfigurations, but when you think about it, they're very different, sharing only a similar shape and weight. They're not the same thing at all.